Wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher found a home with the Cincinnati Bengals after the Chicago Bears waived him last Christmas Eve. The Bengals claimed him the next day and he made their 53-man roster last week, setting up his return to Soldier Field for Sunday's season opener between the two teams.

"Everybody has their niche in the league, and that’s how I guess I’ll stick around.," said Sanzenbacher, who is 5-foot-11. "You have to take advantage of every opportunity."

The Bengals put 5-foot-7 slot receiver Andrew Hawkins (high ankle sprain) on injured reserve-designated to return and kept Sanzenbacher as one of six receivers. Sazenbacher's 100 preseason receiving yards led the team.

"He plays bigger than his size," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said in a teleconference Wednesday. "He’s a smart player. He understands football. He understands route concepts, and he understands leverage and movement away from leverage. He’s been what we expected.

Sanzenbacher had 28 receptions for 283 yards and three touchdowns for the Bears after joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2011.

"I really enjoyed my time in Chicago," he said. "I’ll always have that connection to the city and fan base. It was where I got my shot and great to have the reception I had, a great experience.

Sanzenbacher does not keep in touch with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, he said, but he fondly recalled their time together.

"We saw eye to eye on a lot of things," he said. "Jay is the type of player who expects you to be where you’re supposed to be. He demands that of his guys. You see that every weekend and in a lot of senses, we saw the same things on the field."

Tribune columnist David Haugh contributed to this report from Cincinnati